We've had such a wonderful experience at Petit Lion Language Academy over the past year. The…read moreteachers are wonderful, and my daughter loved going every day. The Spanish and French immersion has been incredible. She picked up so much and we still sing songs together in both languages at home. My daughter loved the days when the kids cooked lunch as a group, and I always appreciated the updates through lilio to see photos, activity notes, and nap times each day. Overall, this has been such a positive and enriching experience for our family and we are so grateful to have found this school!

Such a wonderful and happy little school. Our daughter has loved her time here and has flourished!…read moreThe program is wonderful and all of the teachers, and director Léonie, are amazing. We highly recommend, especially if you're looking for a Spanish and French language immersion.

I needed a Spanish tutor to complete my required courses for my degree. I was really struggling…read moreand Paula turned that all around. She is very flexible, patient and forgiving as an instructor. She would walk me through a particular subject as many times as I needed to get it right. She always made me feel confident in what I was learning. Jeff

I have been attending weekly classes with Paula since February of 2016. I started with private…read morelessons to immediately work on the most pertinent vocabulary I would need for my work, moved into a small group (2 others) and am now back to private lessons. Paula is the best Spanish teacher I have ever had and I've experienced 6 throughout high school and university. She explains the logic (or lack of logic) behind grammar very clearly. I have had questions about estar/ser and the subjunctive that other teachers have told me I would just have to "feel out" that Paula directly answered for me. The subjunctive feels way less intimidating to me now. I like that she explains some things in English to insure that the basic principles are understood but still gets me to speak at length in Spanish. She starts every class asking about my week and my plans which gets me to learn very practical vocabulary and conversation skills. I feel really comfortable speaking with her in Spanish. The other day I appropriately used the past subjunctive when speaking with a client--"¿Quisieras un arbol de Navidad?" I was really proud and would not have been able to do so confidently if it hadn't been for Paula. I highly recommend you take her classes.

I took one class here. It was pretty good but I'm not sure it was quite worth the cost. I tried to…read moretake another class but it got cancelled with no explanation. I asked why and got ignored. I do like to support life-long learning but I doubt I'll try again here.

My kid got his GED/diploma took him a few years. He is autistic. But between Lawrence, the…read morecounselor and Mrs. Escandon., he simply could not fail. These people are fantastic and the school is very, very good. Years before my other daughter got her GED again a fantastic ! Thank you so much for all your extra hard work with my boy!

Our second daughter is about to graduate from this magical school! We have been a part of the LLA…read morefamily since 2025 and loved it! Our oldest likes it so much she goes for the after school Spanish program and asks to go back for summer camp! It's a great school and the kids learn very good Spanish! The best teachers!

Our daughter has been attending LLA since she was 3 and is now 4.5. We are so impressed with how…read moremuch Spanish she speaks coming from a non-Spanish speaking household. It has inspired not only us to learn Spanish but also her grandparents, aunts and uncles. The classes are small, the teachers are wonderful, the activities are engaging. She always comes home with the best stories and (singing, crafts, soccer, water slide in the summers, etc). She's made some of her best friends here as well. As my first baby, I was extremely nervous to put her in any type of care outside of home. I did some extensive research for daycares and pre schools throughout San Marcos and La Costa and out of the 10 + others I interviewed in person, I immediately knew this was the school for us. The teachers and Laura were so kind and supportive to me and my daughter who can be a little bit of a wallflower at first. We plan on sending our son here soon, and know he will absolutely love it!

If you are a parent searching for a preschool where your child will be known, nurtured, and…read moreinspired--look no further. We've been part of this preschool community for over four years, and it has been nothing short of amazing. Our oldest child thrived here, and we didn't hesitate to enroll our second. The care, consistency, and quality of education are outstanding. What truly sets this school apart is its incredible director, Karyne Bégin. Her leadership is warm, thoughtful, and deeply hands-on. She knows every child and family, communicates clearly and consistently, and has built a team of dedicated, long-term teachers who genuinely love what they do. From the nurturing classrooms to the strong curriculum and safe, joyful environment, this school has exceeded our expectations in every way. We're so grateful to have found a place we trust completely with our children's early years.

We had our toddler here from 18 months to 4 years. It was a great journey with this school. We felt…read morethe care they put in with our child. The teachers and admin are great! Highly recommend!

Not sure. So far we have emailed twice and scheduled a tour but not response at all…read more Sounds like the perfect school for our kiddos but so far we've not been able to get in touch with anyone. Update: Scheduled tour on their website and no response BUT we went to the school at the time we scheduled and got to tour the small school and it's small but that's a great thing. The kids seemed to be focused and learning and the teachers engaging and teaching well. Impressive! Kids walked calmly into their class in a line and happy and the playground was the focus of our newly 6 yr old. He's super excited to possibly get to play each day on that playground. I appreciate that doors remain locked. The view from the school is so beautiful, and pick up doesn't seem that exhausting like most schools. Love that the kids will get to be speaking both English and Spanish at school.

The best charter school in NC SD !! My child has been here since TK and has done very well !…read more This is due to there amazing staff !! Excellent dual language charter school !

I signed up under a Memorial Day special. $99 a month for 1 class a week (group). I picked my class…read moretime/day and instructor. There were two of us students in the class until very recently (which is part of what I think caused all these issues). None of my complaints involve my instructor. She was great. Last week I received a new zoom link. Didn't think it odd. Then on class day all of the sudden a new teacher & two new students are in the class. Ok. I decided to go with it. Except they're VERY new. Which is fine. It's Spanish 1. But I've been taking Spanish for 6+ months already. We're all at different levels. So after class I email the instructor. I have no desire to repeat chapters 1-6 of the book since I'm on chapter 7. Can I go back to my old instructor? Especially since I never asked to change? He tells me to "email the school". So I did. I emailed the school explaining everything. The school did not reply. They just canceled my enrollment. They didn't offer to place me in another group class that better fit my level. Just canceled. Probably because my monthly rate was the discounted one. Anyway, are the teachers good? Yes. Is the customer service horrible?? ALSO YES. they don't communicate at all. Find someplace else to learn.

I took private classes with the Spanish Institute for about three weeks in preparation for studying…read moreabroad in Spain. I worked with Moni who not only encouraged me to try, but also made me feel very comfortable making mistakes and helped me make corrections. My conversational skills in Spanish have improved exponentially after my classes, as well as my grammar and writing. I took the class over Zoom and honestly preferred this method because Moni would type words in the chat, which allowed me to put spelling to the things I was saying. My experience with the Spanish Institute couldn't have been any better and I am so grateful to Moni for all of her help and patience with me. I now feel ready to go to Spain and confident that I will be able to get around with ease. Thank you so much Moni!!!

We currently have both of our girls enrolled at ages 4.5 and 2.5 and the school facility and staff…read moreis great. They are attentive, thorough and the kids have engaging days. We're already seeing a significant step forward in their independence and some reading, art and math skills for our 4yr old. Ms. Alejandra's Hummingbirds classroom is well run with many helpful teachers and assistants and is always clean and tidy. Mr. Diaz's Owl class is the same and it seems they are always changing up the work the kids do which is great. Kudos to Sandrine and her staff, we highly endorse the school.

We have two girls that have been here. The staff is amazing and I would highly recommend this…read moreschool to anyone, and I have. My girls have made huge progress here and when around other kids you can definitely see a difference.

Bella Mente Academy may be a good fit for parents who prefer to take a quiet, hands-off…read moreapproach--those who don't ask questions and accept school decisions without much involvement. In those cases, families are treated warmly and respectfully on the surface. However, when a parent begins to raise concerns--even thoughtfully and professionally--the tone can shift quickly. The administration may start to view you not as a partner, but as a problem. Instead of open dialogue, the response often comes in the form of subtle retaliation, increased formality, or distancing behavior. Eventually, the pressure and lack of transparency can make a parent feel isolated and unsure, while the child--unfairly--is framed as the issue. From my experience, what seems to challenge the administration most are parents who: * Are observant * Ask questions * Understand how systems and accountability work * Expect clear communication, not vague policies These qualities appear to disrupt the comfort of those in leadership, and the reaction is often controlled but intentional. There is also a notable level of teachers turnover, which contributes to a sense of ongoing instability. If you're a parent who intends to advocate for your child, ask questions, or expect partnership, I encourage you to carefully consider not only the academic environment--but also the emotional and psychological safety the school provides. The experience can be deeply discouraging for engaged families when collaboration is replaced with control disguised as professionalism.

Fun environment my kids love coming to school every day they learn new things they learn Hands and…read morethe teachers are wonderful the staff treats everyone like family